Breast Cancer Questions

Radiation Treatment

Getting ready to start radiation treatment soon. Besides the fatigue & burning to skin, did anyone lose any hair or has it thinned from the treatment? And do you find the fatigue as tiring as "chemo fatigue". thanks for any input...

12 Answers from the Community

I'm about to have my last radiation treatment. Fatigue was not at all an issue when I was on TC chemo. I never had much fatigue with radiation either - just maybe the last week - and it was something I could "work through". I'm naturally a night owl and not a napper - however I have recently enjoyed the pleasures of naps. On occasion I have "closed my eyes for 20 min" only to awake 2-3 hrs. later. :) I've been exercising throughout my treatment, not up to my pre-treatment level, but I did not want to forget how to use the elliptical. Plus my time on the elliptical is the only time I keep up with my podcasts.

Each of us is different as far as side effects - but if you don't pay too much attention to what everyone else suffers, you may just forget that there are side effects. You don't necessarily experience what someone else does - or in the same way.

Good luck with your RT. The practice I went to was very good, very individual oriented, gave good advice and did everything possible to make the treatments comfortable. If you have had chemo, the RT is much easier. Ask if you can bring some favorite music cd's to play. Although you probably won't be on the table too long. And wear clothes that are easy on/easy off.

Advice (for everyone): *Make sure the technicians* have the correct program plugged in for YOU, and not someone else.*

I had 43 Direct Beam radiation treatments. The fatigue was noticeable and I was also receiving Lupron. About five months after RT was finished, I began to bleed internally and became severely anemic. I was diagnosed with Radiation Proctitis and had twelve Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (cauterization of the colon) treatments on both an outpatient and inpatient basis. The bleeding would not stop. In September I was treated with 50 Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments. Significant progress was made. The bleeding returned in February and I have now returned to daily Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments. This procedure helps the healing of the burn by oxygenating the tissue. I am administered 100% oxygen while under three times the normal atmospheric pressure for 119 minutes.

In my case, the RT induced burns have been one of my major side-effects and have blocked by progress. Ask your Radiation Oncologist about the potential for internal burning from the RT. Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment appears to be a reasonably successful treatment for the RT induced internal burns and Radiation Proctitis.

Wow, the radiation knocked me out..I was exhausted from the Rt and not the chemo. Make sure you drink tons of water..This was the only time I purchased water in the bottles so I could keep track of my consumption. Water, water and more water. I really need to get back to that it was so good for me to drink all that water.

I didn't know what fatigue was until I had the rads. Fell asleep at wok once. Try to fit in a 20 minute nap if you can. Take care of your skin to minimize the burns.. My hair was not afeced at all. Good Luck

Unless you have hair in the direct pathe that the radiation takes you will not loose any. I have had radiation that removed chest hair quire effectivly and what looks like permanently but since it is not on my head and my shirt covers the area it doesa noty really matter. Good Luck

I went through 35 radiation treatments and was tired afterwards, but in retrospect think I was just reacting to what I had heard about being tired afterward. More recently, I went through 5 months of chemo and on the weeks I was given all three drugs (TCH regimen), was ever so much more tired! The carboplatin really wiped me out--so much that I stayed in bed, mostly sleeping, for 3-4 days those weeks. My experience was that radiation was a piece of cake compared to chemo. I have sensitive skin, but I never burned from the rads--maybe you won't, either. I know it's scary and even creepy, when you think about it, but honestly, I now think radiation wasn't that bad. Hope your treatments go as well as mine did. Good luck with them. :-)

fatigue and "sunburn" were the two side effects...and not the fatigue wasn't the same as chemo fatigue....it is cumulative....starts out slowly and builds, but it is not debilitating...I worked full time during all Dx and Tx but I had to take time off for chemo and was pretty wiped out day of chemo and the next few days...but radiation, I went to work and then to rads.....didn't have the stamina after a few weeks, but was able to function....

Radiation had no effect on my hair. I did burn whereas I had to take a week off to heal. Silverdene cream and allowing a fan to blow on that area helped tremendously. The fatigue is not quite the same -- it creeps up on you -- it is cumaltive so that you don't notice it until all of a sudden you wonder where your energy has gone. It takes some time following radiation to get that energy back. I wish you the best.

No hair loss with RT! Unless it would be in the area that is being treated. You will get your "tatooes" so don't freak out. They are little dots that they do in certain areas around the breast so that they can consistantly targe the areas prescribed by the RT Oncologist. I only mention because I did not know this going in. Not painful. Just remember side effects are cumulative, I did not have anything noticable until about 23 out of 28 treatments. Then the fatique was evident, and the burns got very bad. I was able to exercise until that 5th week and the burns pervented it. Fatique was nothing like what I had with chemo. It was just sort of less energy and maybe a need to sleep a little bit more. I agree with the advice to drink lots of water..just keep flushing the body. Try to exercise a bit too, it will help the fatique. Take care of skin with aquaphor and follow RT nurse and onc advice. They know all the tricks! Best to you.. it is almost over!!!!

I had 33 rad treatments and only felt tired enough for a short nap 4 days. I was surprised but very thankful. The only hair lost was under arm when the radiation was aimed at the incision for lymph node removal. That was also the only burn area that was a bit sore at the end. Cream from the onc nurse took care of it in just a few days. Good luck!

Hi, barbaraanne. I did not lose hair from the radiation treatments. I was a bit fatigued but I don't feel it was major. I would drop off for a short nap after dinner sometimes but I continued to work and recall being fully functional. I did not have chemo so can't compare fatigue. Good luck to you.